After a minute or so of chanting, wind-sounds, and church bells, the mighty Hammond organ casts its spell, followed by dual guitars, drums, and bass, marching onward into the title track (named after a 1971 TV movie directed by Daniele d'Anza) where the band meets vocalist Mercy in preparation for the nearly ten minutes of instrumental workout that follows. Another short interlude and it's off again for another long smoker. Due to all the vintage instrumentation and production qualities, this could have been just as easily recorded in 1971 as it was in '96. Indeed there are few clues anywhere that Il Segno is a 90s band. Vocals are powerful, and in the finest tradition, all lyrics are sung in Italian. A female vocalist joins the band on a couple tracks, and other guests provide saxes, Mellotron, and additional keyboards. With two guitars, these guys can really rock when they want to, yet they infuse strong elements of classical, folk, and jazz into their sound at every turn, winding through odd times, blistering solos, and lengthy multi-part suites. One might be reminded regularly of the glorious days of bands like Semiramis, among others. The chops aren’t quite at that level yet — for that we'll probably have to wait for Il Segno's second, but if ideas and effort count for anything, this one is certainly worthy of attention.

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Previously in Exposé...

Amazing Blondel - Englische Musicke –
Amazing Blondel existed throughout the early 70s, originally formed by John Gladwin and Terry Wincott after leaving another even more obscure band called Methuselah. This compilation is drawn from...
(1994) »
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